Sep 18, 2013

01:59 PM

Newtown Arts Festival Empowers a Still-Grieving Community

Cathy P. Ross

The Newtown High School Marching Band

All types of arts performances, exhibits and events have been scheduled in Newtown this week as a lead-in to the Newtown Arts Festival, which takes place on Sept. 21 & 22 at the Fairfield Hills Campus. The arts festival made its debut last year and is set to be an annual event.

Tonight the acclaimed Elaris Duo performs a free concert at the Newtown Meeting House at 7 p.m. Cellist Steven Elisha and his wife, violinist Larisa Elisha, present a program of duets exclusively for cello and violin by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Maurice Ravel, Zoltan Kodály and Johann Halversen. And on Saturday, Steven Elisha returns to perform “Mr. Cello Stories” for kids of all ages. He combines music appreciation with performance, storytelling and audience participation.

On Sept. 19, the benefit concert “Broadway Sings for Newtown” heats up the stage at the Walnut Hill Community Church at 7 p.m.The cast features Broadway veterans Mark McVey, Jeri Sager, Danny Zolli, Gary Mauer, Elizabeth Southard, Kate Schindle as well as 30 local students from Sabrina’s Encore Productions of Newtown. Tickets are $35 and available online at HealingNewtown.org; proceeds go to HealingNewtown through the Arts, a project developed and managed by the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission.

On Sept. 20, The Rooster Ball crows under the Music Tent at Fairfield Hills with cocktails, food (catered by Walsh Catering of Danbury) and dancing to the music of Eugene Dobb’s Nu Cullers band. Suggested attire is anything “fun, festive and with flair.” Tickets are $65, available on the website at newtownartsfestival.com.

The arts festival opens at 10 a.m. on Saturday with more than 80 artists exhibiting their painting, jewelry, woodwork, glasswork and sculpture in the Artists Market and Fiber Arts tent. On Sunday, sculptor David Boyajian of New Fairfield, will demonstrate bronze casting near the workshop tents.

The Newtown High School Marching Band & Guard will perform on the festival grounds while the Music Tent will be filled with the sounds of Boplicity, The Mark Rae Trio, The Skanktones, Goldrush Band, Peter Ferreira, OutFunked, My Dad’s Truck, Otis & the Hurricanes, and The Jay Willie Band. A special installment of Newtown’s Flagpole Radio Café show will also be presented there on Saturday.

Featured dance performances include ballet and Irish dance as well as a dance showcase presented by the Newton High School Dance Team. And the incredible Pilobolus dance troupe will conduct a workshop on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Dance tent. Emily Kent, education coordinator of the Pilobolus Institute in Washington, Conn., and some of the dancers will run the Pilobolus Experiment workshop—and you don't have to be a dancer to participate!

The arts festival runs Sept. 21& 22 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $5; children 12 and under are free, no pets allowed. For a complete schedule of events, visit newtownartsfestival.com, call 203-426-9299 or email newtownartsfestival@gmail.com.